Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted
Paragraph: 80
Further engagement with ASEAN on maritime security and deepen bilateral relationships through exercises
Recommendation
The UK must rekindle its statecraft skills and reaffirm its commitment as a reliable partner to countries in South-East Asia and the Pacific, in order to uphold the international rules-based order, given its proximity to China and the political diversity of the region. The Committee welcomes the 2022 UK-ASEAN Action Plan as an opportunity for the UK to institutionalise its regional engagement. Although not primarily a defence cooperation mechanism, the UK should further its UK Defence and the Indo-Pacific 41 engagement with ASEAN on maritime security, building resilience in member states, and seek to deepen its bilateral relationships with these countries through capacity- building exercises. In parallel with this, the UK should continue to strengthen and build productive relationships with South-East Asian states and the Pacific Islands.
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation, agreeing to deepen relationships and defence engagement with ASEAN and Pacific Islands. Specific actions include formally applying to ADMM+, pursuing ship-rider agreements with Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, renewing a naval MOU with the US Coastguard, and conducting various training initiatives with Brunei Garrison.
Paragraph Reference:
80
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government welcomes the Committee’s support for deepening the UK’s relationships with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Pacific Islands and agrees with its recommendation to further its defence engagement with both regions. Association of Southeast Asian Nations The UK believes that a strong and unified ASEAN is vital for Indo-Pacific security interests. Its members comprise a diverse range of political views and ASEAN’s ability to cohere this political diversity in a single forum supports de-scalation and constructive dialogue in the region. Engagement with ASEAN is a fundamental part of the UK’s approach to the Indo-Pacific and as a Dialogue Partner, the UK wants to continue deepening our relationship with ASEAN members and fully support the centrality of ASEAN as a political, economic and security forum in the region. The UK has formally applied to join the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), the platform for ASEAN and its wider gathering of “Plus” Members to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region. We have further been accepted into the Expert Working Group (EWG) Observership programme, allowing us to deepen our understanding of regional capabilities and their role in securing peace and security in the region. In October 2023, we concluded our participation in our first ADMM+ EWG on Military Medicine in the Philippines and in December 2023 we will attend the Peacekeeping EWG’s Women Peace and Security Seminar in Japan. We have also applied to join the Maritime and Security EWG for the next cycle of the observer programme. The UK has continued to engage in mutually beneficial capacity training with ASEAN members, sharing lessons and building regional capability to manage security threats. Royal Navy ships HMS SPEY and HMS TAMAR have worked closely with ASEAN states since late 2021. This includes recent engagement to providing training to local military and coastguard forces throughout the region. Moreover, our package of practical instruction is enabling regional partners to work together, improving collective resistance to coercion and illegal activity in the maritime domain, including through the delivery of legal training, hydrography support, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) courses and Maritime Domain Awareness assistance. The Pacific Islands The UK’s desire to engage more with the Pacific Islands remains strong. We are actively working with Pacific Island countries and partners to ensure the region is more secure, stable, and resilient. We agreed a ship-rider agreement with Fiji in 2022, and we are pursuing similar arrangements with Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu among others. Additionally, the Royal Navy has recently renewed an MOU with the US Coastguard to enable joint boarding and enforcement operations in the Pacific. The Brunei Garrison have worked alongside PNG, Fiji, French, US, Australian and New Zealand to support combat, logistics and engineering training initiatives; strengthening the resilience of Pacific Defence Forces. The UK will continue to seek opportunities to deepen cooperation with ASEAN member states and Pacific Island countries, both through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, in support of our wider interests of the region.